


Daughter of the Forest

by villettes



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-28
Updated: 2014-12-28
Packaged: 2018-03-04 00:42:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2903060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/villettes/pseuds/villettes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tauriel's childhood and life in the halls of the elven king Thranduil. How she came to live there and be raised by the king himself, alongside his son Legolas. How she became captain of the guard and finds her place in the Woodland Realm...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Please note whilst reading that Tauriel is 17 years old by the beginning of the story. That makes her about 5 to 6 years old in human years. Just keep in mind elves are no humans, meaning elflings are a lot more mature than human children who physically appear to be about the same age. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story and have fun reading!**

* * *

Winter of TA 2340

Tauriel ran as fast through the snowy woods as her feet could carry her. Close behind her was her mother telling her to run faster and to look for a place to hide. Tauriel could sense the evil that was following them. She had never felt anything like it before and was so scared she wanted to scream but instead she bit her lip and kept running. At last she noticed a tree. Some of its roots were exposed thus creating a small hollow barely noticable except to keen elven eyes. She was small enough to crawl inside and only then she realised that her mother was nowhere to be seen.

However, as she hid under the roots she could sense the evil creature approaching and instinctivly knew that she had to be quiet. She held her breath. Shivers kept running down her spine as she felt pure evilness creeping up on her. She heard the creature's footsteps, its heavy breath, grunts and growls. Through the roots of the tree she was able to see its two big feet. It stood still for a while, then she heard it sniffing around. She started to shake and thought it might smell her and find her in her hiding place. As Tauriel saw the creature lowering its huge bloodstained axt, letting it sit lazily on the ground, she felt as though her heartbeat stopped and she closed her eyes.

When Tauriel finally opened her eyes again the creature was gone. She could sense no more evil around her, just the smell of earth and the fresh winter air tickling her skin.

Eventually as time went by, she dared to slowly stick her head out of the little hollow. Something cold landed on her nose and she flinched slightly. It had started to snow again. Suddenly it struck her that not only could she sense no more evil but also no living creature within her closer surroundings. She looked around but didn't know where to go to. Tauriel knew it would be no use to call for her naneth now as she would not be able to hear her, but as Tauriel grew more and more anxious wandering through the forest on her own she did so anyway.

Tauriel had been born in this forest of the Woodland Realm. This was the only place she knew. She had always felt safe being surrounded by the big old trees, embracing her with their shadows which they cast onto the forest floor. She had felt protected – up until now. Tauriel kept calling for her naneth but the only thing she could hear in response was her echo and the sounds of the trees; heavily burdened by the snow gathered on their branches. As night started to fall on the forest, she could not hold back her tears any longer and started to cry yet she kept walking on and on, calling for her naneth and her adar.

Suddenly she bumped into something hard even though she could have sworn there had been no tree before her a few second ago. She fell backwards into the snow but quickly got back up on her feet whilst wiping her tears away to face the thing she had ran into.

Just then she realised it had been no tree but an elf. A tall, muscular elf with long silver-blond hair stood in front of her. He was dressed in armour and looked down into her face with piercing blue eyes.

As he looked down at the little elfling his gaze gradually became more gentle.

`Don't be frightened, little one. You are out of danger now.´

His voice was deep yet clear and strong. Tauriel did not recognise it so she was sure she had never met him before, although his face seemed somewhat familiar to her. As the elf observed what a weary and distraught state she was in, he leaned down towards her, reaching out his arms but the elfling instantly shied away from him.

`Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. You are safe with me!´

Judging by the expression in his eyes, Tauriel could tell that he was telling the truth. Still, the only thing she wanted was to be cradled in the arms of her naneth and adar so she asked the elf if he had seen them. Tauriel's voice was shaky and she spoke so low, only the elf could hear what she was saying.

`You can not go to your parents now. But do not worry, I will look after you and no harm will come to you!´

When he realised the little one would not let herself be touched by him, he told her to follow him. Despite feeling desperate grief about the fact that she was parted from her parents, she was quite relieved not to be on her own any longer. Her parents had told her the forest could become quite dangerous if you walked off the safe elven paths or were too far off the elven king's halls.

She kept close to the elf, feeling strangely protected by his tall and graceful figure. Every once in a while he would look over his shoulder to see if she was following, even though it was clear he could sense that, whether or not he turned around to reassure himself.

Finally they reached a small clearing where the snow had fallen especially high, though both of the elves barely even left footprints on the snow cover. Then Tauriel noticed a tall elk standing near them in the shadows of a tree. It was not a wild elk for he was wearing a saddle and a bridle similar to those of the riding horses she had seen before.

The elf raised his hand and the elk instantly came trotting towards them.

`I will take you to the king's halls. But to reach them before night falls, we will have to ride my elk.´

Tauriel silently nodded and he was quite surprised to see the little one stretching out her arms in order for him to place her into the saddle. He did so whilst telling her not to be scared, assuring her that his elk would not hurt her. After he had sat himself into the saddle, he told Tauriel to hold onto him tightly. She wraped her arms around his torso as best as she could, pressing her small body against his. He faintly smiled at her in response and once he felt that she was ready he let his elk gallop through the forest into the direction of the gates of the king's halls. He felt Tauriel's grip tighten around him even more so and noticed that she kept her eyes shut. He used his long silver cloak to shield her from the sharp and icy wind.

As they arrived at the gates, he lifted Tauriel carefully off his elk and told her to wait for a moment while he went to talk to the two guards standing at the huge doors. While she was waiting for him, she felt another overwhelming wave of grief wash over her and thick tears started running down her face. Suddenly she felt something warm nestling her cheek. It was the elk's nose. He had lowered his head towards her and she reached out her arm to stroke his head, fascinated by the animal's gentleness and great antlers.

`You can visit him tomorrow if you want to!´

Tauriel flinched as she heard the elf's voice who was suddenly standing beside her again. She thought it was strange that she never noticed him coming. One of the guards came over.

`My Lord Thranduil, I will bring your elk to the stables if you so wish?´

As she heard the name it struck Tauriel that she did know the elf who had saved her. It was the elven king Thranduil himself. Her king. Tauriel was 17 years of age and she had been to the king's halls several times before with her naneth and adar, and once she had even been able to catch a glimpse of the king during a feast, although he had been dressed much differently back then. Thranduil felt that his sudden revealed identity had put her even more at unease as she struggled for words with a baffled expression on her face.

Thranduil chuckled. `Don't worry, it's alright. Follow me inside!´

He waved his hand at the guard, ordering him to take his elk while the other guard opened the doors for them. He led her through his halls although Tauriel was now much too confused and tired to notice her magnificent surroundings. They walked several staircases up and down until they reached a big wooden door. It were the king's private chambers.

Thranduil led her inside, telling her to sit down on one of the big and soft couches while he disappeared into another room to take off his armour. When he returned he was wearing a long silver robe. Soothed by the warm and comfortable chambers, Tauriel allowed him to take her hand and he led her into yet another room that was his bedchamber. Thranduil placed Tauriel onto his huge bed and covered her with a few blankets. He sat beside her, humming softly in his deep voice so that she might fall asleep.

When he noticed that her breath had slowed down and her eyes had fallen shut, he raised himself off the bed, however, he did not go very far as Tauriel instantly opened her eyes and grabbed his robes with her little hands, refusing to let him go. Thranduil gently smiled at her, took her hands into his own and layed himself beside her into the bed. Tauriel intently watched him and his every move and when she was sure that he would not get up again and leave her all alone, she closed her eyes and finally went to sleep.

Thranduil grently stroked the little elfling's red hair. In response, Tauriel unconciously nestled herself closer to his chest. He wraped an arm around her as he noticed how cold her body had become.

`Such grief this little elfling had to endure and has yet to go through...´ he thought to himself. After all he knew what had happened had been his fault.

`Sleep well, Tauriel...´ he whispered and watched over her for the rest of the night.


	2. Chapter 2

At dawn, Thranduil stood out on a balcony which was connected with his chambers. Tauriel was still fast asleep inside his bedchamber. The balcony did not overlook the great river and the trees of the forest as it had been carved out of stone inside the elven king's halls, yet the view it had to offer was not any less astonishing.

From this point, Thranduil was able to overlook most of the cave system of his halls, similar to the view he had when he was in his throne room.

At this time of the day, the halls seemed as though they were dunked into a soft greenish light. Normally looking at the waterfalls splashing down the high moss-covered cave walls and the sound of the underground rivers flowing just below his feet would have soothed the elven king and his thoughts but not so today. He stared off into the distance having a gloomy expression on his face but there was also great sadness to be found in his eyes.

Yesterday's orc attack in the forest had cost the lives of some of his kin and he greatly regretted their loss. He had been king of the Woodland Realm for many hundred years now but something like this never should have happened under his reign and he knew very well that there had been ways with which it could have been prevented. He also knew he would never be able to forgive himself such a foolish mistake. He had been careless and would never allow himself a weakness like that ever again.

It was winter. The orcs roaming through the woods were running out of food and the few animals they managed to hunt down were so starved out that they hardly gave enough meat to feed their greedy mouths. Thranduil knew the nature of orcs. He knew hunger was one of the main reasons to drive them wild and would make them do things which they wouldn't normally dare to.

But as small and weak as their minds were, they knew elves always build up stocks to survive even the longest and coldest of winters. It was the food they were after and every winter Thranduil's guards would have to fight off new packs of orcs that attacked them. The king sensed that they were growing bolder from year to year.

Yesterday, the attack of an especially large and vicious pack of orcs on the small group of forest elves had been disastrous. The patrol providing more efficient weaponry for defence had been too late to intervene in the attack. He had been too late.

When they had arrived, they had found the destroyed homes of their people. Most of the orcs had already run off, leaving only the dead or severely injured bodies of his kin behind.

He ordered his guards to take the dead away so that they could receive a honourable entombment as soon as possible. The few injured elves that had managed to survive were immediately brought to the healing quarters inside the king's halls. Most of his guards were already gone though Thranduil lingered on, staring at the destruction before him.

As king of the Woodland Realm, he knew all of his kin and suddenly he noticed that he had not seen the little elfling Tauriel or her mother Melmiel who had been living here, neither among the death nor the injured. Both hope and fright hit him. Perhaps they were still alive but he also knew that sometimes, orcs would take elves to torture them until they would fade away which brought great satisfaction to these unworthy, vile creatures.

Eventually, he found the trace of a single orc leading deep into the forest. He followed it for a while until he found the slaughtered body of Tauriel's mother Melmiel lying on the ground. Great grief struck him as he looked at her dead body. He had seen Tauriel's father Calendor had been killed as well so if Tauriel was alive, she would be orphaned. He knew he could do nothing more for Melmiel so he went on deeper into the forest looking for Tauriel. He had to find her. Thranduil tried to find a trace, opening his mind to even the lowest of sounds or most subtle of scents within his closer surroundings. Finally he noticed a little hollow at a tree where he could make out the elfling's scent. She had been here not too long ago, but most importantly she had managed to find a hiding place.

Now he knew there was a good chance she was indeed still alive.

Night was falling and he knew he had to find her before no light would be left in the forest. He was well aware of the dangers that lingered in the darkness of Mirkwood and there were very few safe parts left.

Thranduil swiftly moved through the forest without making a sound, following Tauriel's scent and looking around him with his keen elven eyes. That was when he finally spotted her...

Thranduil was still standing on the balcony as he was interrupted reliving his memories by his little son Legolas entering his chambers.

Legolas knew his father always sensed when he sat foot into his chambers so when he saw him standing out on the balcony, he swiftly ran towards his adar to greet him. He could barely reach Thranduil's waist so he clung to his right leg instead, nestling up to it. Legolas opened his mouth to ask his father why he had not visited him yesterday night as he always did before he would go to sleep but when he looked up and saw the expression on his father's face he immediately fell silent.

Legolas was aware that there had been an orc attack yesterday for he had overheard a conversation between two guards who then too had hurried off to aid the elves outside in the forest. The elven king's halls had been in a great stir, but there was nothing the little elfling could have done so Galion, one of his father's servants, had brought him back to his chambers and there he had stayed, waiting for his father, wondering why he was not coming. Legolas wanted to be with his adar and sometimes, Thranduil would allow his son to sleep at his side but Legloas knew that it would be best not to go looking for his father that night.

So when Legolas saw Thranduil's pained expression, he felt his father's misery through their close bond. The orc attack must have ended very badly.

Thranduil looked down into the worried face of his son who was still clinging to his leg. Everyone was saying Legolas was clearly taking after him but looking through Thranduil's eyes, he found many features of his wife and even more so in his character.

`My little Greenleaf...´ he whispered, leaning down to embrace his son, planting a soft kiss onto his hair whilst inhaling his familiar and soothing scent.

Legolas looked up into his father's eyes which now had great affection in them but he knew his father only called him that when he was saddened.

`Adar, I know what happened...´ Legolas said quietly. Thranduil sighed. Of course he did.

`Legolas, please listen to me carefully. Can you remember the little red-haired elfling who was born a few years after you? You saw her at a feast once...´ Thranduil was certain his son could remember her for there were not many elflings living in the Woodland Realm.

`Yes, father! What about her? Did she...´ Thranduil saw his son's face turn into horror.

`Do not worry about her, she is safe. However, both her parents did not survive the attack. That's why I could not come to your chambers yesterday. I found her wandering through the woods on her own and so I brought her to the halls. She's sleeping in my bedchamber now.´

In response to that, Legolas curiously looked past his adar to the huge wooden door that he knew led to his bedchambers.

Thranduil lowered his voice. `Be quiet, Legolas. I do not want you to wake her just yet. She had had a rough time yesterday and is very weak. When she wakes, I want you to be very gentle with her and make her feel at home. She will ask for her parents but I haven't told her of their passing yet. You will not mention anything about it to her though, do you understand?´

`Yes, I understand, adar! But who is going to care for her now? She is way too young to be on her own already...´ Legolas looked at his father thoughtfully.

`I'm her king and so it is my duty to care for her now that her parents are gone. I have given great thought to this and if you do not have any objections against my decision my son, I would like to be the one to bring her up until she will be able to care for herself.´

Legolas knew once his father had made a decision, he could be unwavering in going through with it though despite that he had no objections to the idea indeed. Legolas was the only elfling in the king's halls so being surrounded by elves who were all many hundreds of years old already caused him to mature quite quickly. He felt like he needed to adapt to their behaviour. Still, he often longed for a playmate, especially when his father had to attend to his kingly duties during the day.

A wide smile spread across Legolas' face. Thranduil chuckled at the sight of his son bowing to him and he quickly gave him another kiss onto his forehead before he told him that he would go and tell a servant to prepare a breakfast for the three of them.

As Thranduil had left his chambers, Legolas sat down on one of the couches to wait for his return when suddenly he heard something stirring in his father's bedchambers...


	3. Chapter 3

Tauriel slowly opened her eyes. It took her a while to get used to the darkness inside the room and she still felt very wretched and weak. She was about to burry her face into the soft pillows again, when she remembered yesterday's events and noticed that Thranduil was no longer beside her. She grew restless as she wondered where he had gone, what she should do and if she was all alone in his chambers now.

The longer she thought about these questions, the more her restlessness grew and without a second thought, Tauriel leaped out of the bed and hastily ran towards the door. She pushed it open and found herself face to face with a blonde elfling slightly taller than herself. When Legolas had heard the stirring inside his father's bedchambers, he instantly had raised himself off the couch and hurried towards the door.

Tauriel abruptly had come to a halt so as not to bump into him but now she stood there staring at Legolas with a shocked expression on her face. Legolas was sure he had frightened her so he gave Tauriel a moment to recover, smiled at her quite cheerfully and bowed.

`Good morning! I hope you have slept well? I am Legolas, son of Thranduil. My father just left to tell the servants to prepare a breakfast for us. You must be hungry. Well, you certainly look very pale I must say. Would you like to sit down until my father returns?´

She suddenly felt very foolish having stared at her prince like that with not a single polite word coming out of her mouth. Tauriel instantly fell to her knees.

`I apologise for my very inappropriate behaviour, my prince!´

Now Legolas was the one who had a bewildered expression on his face.

`What are you apologising for? You have done no wrong at all.´ He leaned down towards the red-haired elfling, offering her a hand to help her up. Whilst doing so he curiously looked upon her face.

`She looks very sweet indeed!´ Legolas thought to himself.

He took her hand and suddenly felt very sorry for Tauriel's loss. He had never truly known his mother for she had retired to the Halls of Mandos shortly after his birth and he did not want to think of what he would do should his father pass away the way Tauriel's parents had.

The compassionate expression on the prince's face did not go unnoticed by Tauriel and she wondered what had made him become so saddened and thoughtful all of a sudden and if it was her fault. Legolas, however, quickly pushed those dark thoughts to the back of his mind. He wanted to make her feel better.

After a little while, they heard Thranduil enter the chambers who was very pleased to see Legolas chatting gaily with Tauriel. He had expected no different from his son and he knew Legolas would do anything to cheer her up. However, when he saw his father he fell silent.

Thranduil walked over to Tauriel and looked at her worriedly. He knew she had had a restless sleep. Several times during the night, she had started to whimper, squirming and writhing in his arms and several times he had tried to release her of her nightmares, placing a hand on her forehead whilst softly chanting in Sindarian. A few moments, she would have been still, her breath slow and even but the nightmares had kept coming back. They most likely would haunt her the following nights as well.

Tauriel bowed to him. Thranduil affectionately placed his hand on her head, letting it glide over her soft red hair and came to a rest on her pale, cold cheek. First Tauriel had felt the need to shy away from him as she had the day before out in the forest but she soon felt comforted by his warm touch and let herself be caressed by him. Thranduil dreaded the moment he would have to tell her of her parent's passing but he knew it had to be done.

He heard a knock at the door and granted admission. Two servants entered the room, quickly placing trays of food onto the big wooden table in the chamber. After they had prepared everything, they bowed to him and Thranduil gave them permission to leave as he had no more orders for them.

Thranduil helped Tauriel sit comfortably onto one of the chairs.

`Thank you very much for your kindness, my lord.´ She smiled at him weakly.

Thranduil returned her smile and they ate in silence for a while. Legolas had become quiet. He was curious and there were many things he wanted to ask her but he was afraid to say something wrong, now that his father was present.

Thranduil was not too concerned about making conversation, yet he kept a watchful eye on how much Tauriel was eating and what she favoured so as to offer her more once her plate was empty. He knew it was important for her to regain her strength before he told her about her parents. Thranduil had never known an elfling which had faded or even died of grief but he would rather not take any risks. He was aware older elves knew about Valinor, the Halls of Mandos and that all of them eventually would sail west one day but he did not know if that knowledge would ease any of Tauriel's pain.

She was still so young and to be torn away from her parents and all she was familiar with so abruptly would be very hard on her, he had no doubt about that.

Still, she had to get accustomed to the life inside his halls. He would assume full responsibility for Tauriel's upbringing and treat her no different than his son. Though many things had to be considered. For now, he had decided Tauriel would share his son's chambers but sooner or later when she grew older he would have to set up chambers for her use only. Elfings learned quickly. His son did most of his studying on his own in his library and Thranduil was planning to make him a little more familiar with his kin's art of archery very soon. He would have Tauriel join his son's studies but later on he would have to find her a task to attend to inside his halls.

`Tauriel, when you are finished with your meal, I would like you to bath and spend the day with my son Legolas. I myself can not keep you company for I have important matters to attend to. I assume you are not very familiar with my halls?´ he asked, his cold clear voice piercing through the silence in the room.

Tauriel shook her head. `No, my lord, I'm not. But I have visited the feast halls with my naneth and adar a few times.´

Thranduil looked over at his son who was clearly excited at the prospect of spending an entire day with Tauriel and showing her his home that would also be her home from now on.

`I trust you two will get along rather well and I'm sure you will find something interesting in these halls, Tauriel!´ Thranduil said.

He had to attend the entombment of those who had died during the attack and would later enquire after the state of the few survivors in the healing quarters. He would also design new plans for extending the private chambers of his kin inside the halls. He wanted to provide sufficient space and comfort for his people during the winter for Thranduil never wanted a disaster like this to happen ever again. The elves living out in the forest would move into the king's halls during the winter from now on. It was the best solution he was able to come up with. Rather build new chambers in the safety of his halls than send more patrols or guards outside thus endangering their lives should there be another orc attack which he knew very well there would be.

After Tauriel and Legolas had finished eating, Thranduil helped Tauriel to run a bath inside his spacious bathing chambers. New clothes were provided to her which were more suitable for the elven king's halls but very unlike the clothes she used to wear out in the forest. Her hair was brushed and braided by one of the servants but Tauriel wondered why such a fuss was made about her for she felt uncomfortable being in the centre of attention.

When the king was about to leave his chambers, Tauriel finally dared to ask the question which had been on her mind since she had awoken this morning.

`My lord, when will I meet my parents? Will they come and take me back to our home in the forest later?´ Tauriel looked at him in a hopeful manner.

Thranduil hesitated. `I have to go now, Tauriel. Do not worry about your parents. We will talk about when you can meet them when I return to my chambers this eve.´ He glanced at his son who looked at him knowingly and with these words, Thranduil left.

Tauriel did worry about her parents. Maybe something bad had happened to them. She especially worried about her mother who she had not seen since they had ran away from that evil creature out in the forest. She turned to face Legolas who was standing behind her. When he looked into her eyes, he knew what she was about to ask him so he lowered his head, facing the ground...


	4. Chapter 4

`Do you know what happened to my parents? Please can you not tell me?´ Tauriel looked at Legolas pleadingly, the latter still starring at the ground.

Legolas felt ashamed that he had to lie to her. Eventually he raised his head but did not look into her eyes.

`I'm very sorry but I do not know what happened to your parents. I am sure my father knows and will tell you everything soon just like he said...´

Tauriel could sense that he was lying. She could tell from the expression on his face and the look in his eyes. However, she thought it would do no good to keep on urging him to give her an answer. After all, he was her prince and she did not want to offend him.

Legolas desperately wanted to make her feel better but he knew the only way to cheer her up was by distracting her.

`You said to my father you are not too familiar with these halls. I was born here and know all of its paths and hiding places. It would be my pleasure to show you around, Tauriel!´ He looked at her expectantly.

Tauriel nodded and faintly smiled at him. `That would be very kind, my prince.´

`You don't always have to call me "my prince"! Do call me Legolas!´ he said.

`Of course, my prince!´ Tauriel noticed her mistake. `...Legolas!´

He laughed. Tauriel's cheeks burned. It was strange to call him by his name and she could not think of a reason why he would allow her to do so. She was a Silvan elf, living outside in the forest with her parents and he was the son of the great elven king, prince of the Woodland Realm.

Legolas sensed that she was feeling uncomfortable so he quickly put an end to her thoughts by taking her hand, leading her towards the door and out of his father's chambers.

They stood in a passage lit with torch-lights. Tauriel could not remember the way she had come here with the king yesterday so she let herself be guided by Legolas who cheerfully walked ahead along the passages and around several corners until they eventually ended up in the main hall.

Tauriel looked stunned at the beauty emerging in front of her. She looked up at the seemingly endless high pillars and the imposing waterfalls splashing down the cave walls. Then she noticed there was a fast river flowing below the several bridges which were leading to the centre of the main hall, the throne room of the king.

Legolas was very pleased by her reaction and eager to show her more. He led her across the bridges and down several staircases until they found themselves at the river. From down there, the ceilings of the halls looked even higher. Tauriel put her hands into the clear water, it was ice cold.

Legolas assumed that due to the fact that she had been born outside in the forest, Tauriel was most likely even more connected to nature than he was, so he really wanted to impress her by showing her some of his most favoured hiding places inside the halls. One of them was a small limestone cave which could be entered through a barely visible gap near one of the waterfalls. It had an underground pool in it and Tauriel stood stunned at its crystal clear water and the great stalactites at the ceiling. The little hall was lit by a stream of light flowing through the cave walls from outside. Tauriel had never seen anything like it before.

`It looks so beautiful...´ she whispered. Legolas smiled at her.

The two elflings lingered on for a little, talking to each other and Legolas eagerly questioned Tauriel about her life in the forest. She too knew many beautiful places out in the woods and promised she would show him someday.

Legolas proceeded to present the rest of the halls to make her more familiar with them. He thought it was important to help Tauriel find her way around so that she wouldn't feel so lost and uneasy anymore. And indeed, Tauriel became more lightheartedly. She did notice however that there were very few elves walking the king's halls and she wondered if it was always this quiet. Legolas knew most elves were attending the entombment ceremony by now. He led her to the stables which were connected with the halls. Although the horses were free to go outside and roam through the woods in an area protected by the elves, most horses stayed inside now that it was winter and freezing outside.

There, Tauriel encountered Thranduil's elk and he instantly recognised her. She slowly walked over to the animal while Legolas was watching the two curiously. The elk lowered his head towards her and started tickling her by running his sniffing nose through her hair and over her face. Tauriel laughed and reached out her hands to run her fingers through his soft fur. Then the elk lowered himself to the ground, lying down in front of her. She wrapped her little arms around the big animal and nestled up to his back whilst continuing to caress him. Legolas giggled and was happy at the sight in front of him. It was the first time he had seen Tauriel laugh.

After they had spent some more time in the stables and further explored the halls, Legolas thought it would be best to take Tauriel back to his chambers to wait for his father. The day had gone by quicker than he had thought.

The two elflings had been playing in Legolas' chambers for a while when they heard a knock at the door and saw Thranduil enter the room.

He was glad to see that his son and Tauriel had started to bond already. Thranduil glanced over at Legolas. He knew that he had kept his promise not to tell her anything.

Then he turned his attention to Tauriel who was bowing to him. She was in a much better state than she had been in this morning.

`So, did you have a pleasant time with my son today, Tauriel?´he asked.

She nodded. `Yes, I enjoyed your son's company very much. He showed me around your halls which are quite astonishing indeed, my lord!´ She looked up into his enigmatic eyes and wondered what he was thinking.

`Well, I'm glad to hear that. Please follow me now, I would like to speak to you in my chambers. Legolas, say goodnight to Tauriel!´ Legolas took Tauriel's hand and gently kissed it.

`Good night, Tauriel...´ Even Legolas had a very serious expression on his face now. He knew hard times lay ahead of her.

Thranduil silently led her back to his chambers. Tauriel was aware there was something wrong and when they were back inside the king's private rooms he clasped his hands behind his back and looked at her thoughtfully.

`Tauriel, did your parents tell you about orcs?´ She winced when she heard the name.

`Yes, they told me they are evil and foul creatures...´ she said in a low voice.

`Indeed, they are!´ Thranduil replied. `They are very cruel and their minds are very weak. I always thought they were unworthy and I have lived for many hundreds of years, still I can not think of a reason why they should have the privilege to exist in this world.´ Darkness spread over the elven king's face and Tauriel felt increasingly uneasy.

`A lone orc wandering through the forest might not be a very serious threat to a skilled elven warrior but when they roam through the woods in packs, which they often do, they are dangerous and they will not hesitate to kill our kind. Your home was attacked by such a pack, Tauriel...´

She had a horrified expression on her face and Thranduil did not know how much she had seen of the attack, although he was sure her mother had fled with her into the thicket as fast as she could, otherwise they would not have survived that long. Undoubtably, Tauriel's mother had sacrificed herself to the orc that was following them to give her daughter time to run away and find a place to hide.

`I know your naneth and adar did everything they could to protect you...´ Thranduil looked down at Tauriel, straight into her eyes. The front he had built up so as not to let her in on his thoughts came crumbling down. That's when she understood.

`Tauriel, your parents are not coming...´

Her eyes welled up with tears.

`No...´

`No!´

`They can't be...´

Tauriel burst out crying and sank to the floor, hiding her face behind her hands. She could not believe she would not return to her home in the forest and see her naneth and adar awaiting her there. She could not believe she would never again sit in her adar's lap and fall asleep, his strong arms wrapped tightly around her. She could not believe she would never feel the soft lips of her naneth against her cheek and forehead or hear her soothing voice singing her songs. She could not believe they were gone and that she would never again see their faces or speak to them. They had left her all alone.

It pained Thranduil to see the little elfling weeping on the ground. He gently lifted her up into his arms, carried her over to a couch and sat her down onto his lap. He hugged her tightly and softly whispered tales of Valinor into her ear to calm her. He told her that her parent's spirits had remained unharmed and that she would see them again someday. Tauriel was too distraught to truly understand what he was saying. Nobody would have been able to ease her pain. Bitter tears kept streaming down her face and she was locked inside her mind which was now in utter darkness.

Yet somewhere she heard a low voice saying `I'm here. I'm here. I will protect you...´

And there Thranduil sat, his arms tightly wrapped around Tauriel's little body who had burried her face in his chest, rocking her back and forth, trying to console her. Much like her adar would have done...


	5. Chapter 5

Spring of TA 2341

It had been a little over a year since Thranduil had found Tauriel out in the snowy woods and had decided to raise her in place of her deceased parents. Tauriel had felt utterly miserable during the first months after she had learned of her parent's death. Not even his son Legolas had been able to comfort her despite his eager tries. At night, Tauriel would often cry and sob herself to sleep and Legolas would try to gently wipe away her tears. Although Tauriel was grateful for Legolas' kindness and empathy, there would always be new tears streaming down her cheeks and there was nothing she could do about it. She often felt embarrassed to break into tears in front of the prince or the king even. Thranduil knew they had to let her grieve but he also was aware that it pained his son greatly to see Tauriel in such a state.

Thranduil too wanted to ease her sorrow. He knew it all too well and understood what the little one was going through. However, he did not know how to ease it for all Tauriel wanted was to be with her parents. If there had been a way to bring both of them back, Thranduil would have done so but he knew he could not and sooner or later Tauriel would have to accept that she was parted from them.

As he had anticipated, Tauriel was starting to adjust to her new life inside his halls albeit slowly. While his father was gone, Legolas would not let Tauriel out of his sight for long, so the two would spend most of the day together. Both of them did not mind for they had grown very fond of each other. Together they would study in the king's library for hours, play in Legola's chambers which he was sharing with Tauriel by now or further explore the king's halls. Thranduil greatly valued that both elfings displayed such independence as he did not have much time to look after them during the day when he had to attend to his duties.

However, when the last winter had drawn to an end, Tauriel had grown increasingly weary of the halls. She longed to be out in the forest as this was one thing she had the most trouble adjusting to. The king's halls were neither as dark and dangerous as goblin caves nor did they run as deep as those of the dwarves. Still Tauriel felt restless and greatly desired to wander through the woods as she used to. Thranduil understood the elfling's need, so he allowed both his son and Tauriel to go outside into the gardens which were protected by strong magic and could not be entered by strangers, not unless he himself permitted access. Legolas and Tauriel were also allowed to roam through the woods close to where his kin had their houses and huts but Thranduil had told them not to leave those few safe areas of the forest by any means. He knew no harm would come to them as long as they followed his order. Both his elflings would be looked after by his kin as elves cherished nothing more than their offspring.

One afternoon, Tauriel and Legolas were inside the king's library which was lined with high shelves stuffed with countless books and maps that were many hundreds of years old. Tauriel was lying lazily on her belly on a soft carpet in front of the large chimney studying a book while Legolas was sitting on a couch close to her doing the same thing. After a few hours had passed, Tauriel grew restless and Legolas noticed her low sighs and the turning and tossing on the carpet. He knew Tauriel would not adress and disturb him while he was reading so he lowered his book to face her.

`Tauriel, there is something on your mind. Will you tell me?´

Tauriel hesitated. `I'm sorry if I have disturbed your reading, Legolas. But I was wondering if we could go outside into the garden when we are finished with our studies...´

It was true they had not gone outside for a few days now and he too found a play out in the gardens quite tempting at this moment.

`We sure can. But we must tell my father before we go.´

Tauriel nodded and the two elflings swiftly ran to the king's study. They found Thranduil at his desk, deeply in thought about a letter he had received. After a while he put the letter down and looked at his son questioningly.

`Adar, please can we go outside into the gardens. We both have finished our studies in the library and are quite weary of it!´

Thranduil chuckled at his son's remark. `Of course, you can go outside but today, I want you to stay in the gardens only. When I'm finished here I will come outside as well.´

Thranduil did not want the two to go further out into the forest, not today at least. When he had joined the hunting party yesterday he had felt something off about the forest, even more so than usual. A foul smell had been lingering in the air. In respone, he had sent more patrols out into the woods today and ordered his kin to keep a watchful eye.

Both Legolas and Tauriel bowed to the king and hurried outside into the garden. Tauriel enhaled the fresh hair and let the warm sunlight tickle her skin until clouds started to cover the sun. Spring was still at its earliest stages, so the trees had only just started to grow some tiny leaves and on the ground grew snow drops and pretty purple crocuses. Closer to the trees grew bluebells which seemed to cover the grass with a beautiful large blue blanket. It was quite cold and there was still a thin layer of ice on the little ponds which would be full of pink water lilies in summer. Birds were cheerfully twittering on the branches of the trees and Tauriel felt her heart leap with joy.

Soon she had forgotten all about her worries and the two elflings started to carelessly chase after each other. Despite the fact that Legolas was taller than Tauriel, she was a fast runner and everytime he thought he was about to catch her, she would swiftly turn to the left or the right, causing him to grasp at nothing but air. Legolas was so focused on catching Tauriel and not loosing sight of her that he did not notice that they were no longer in the king's gardens but in the middle of the forest. He abruptly came to a halt.

He shouted after Tauriel. `Wait! We are too far from the gardens! We must go back!´

Tauriel came running towards him. She seemed to be a lot less concered about the dark shadows surrounding them than he was. `Do not worry, I know this part of the forest. I used to live not far from here with my parents. Let's stay for a little longer and then we can return to the gardens. Surely there will be no harm in that!´ She smiled at him expectantly.

Legolas frowned. He knew what was on her mind. `Tauriel, you know you can not go home...´

She lowered her head. The king had told her that the elves who had survived the attack had not returned to the destruction the orcs had left behind. After they had recovered, they had busied themselves with building new houses and huts in safer parts of the forest with the rest of their kin which were even closer to the king's halls. When Tauriel had asked him what would become of her deserted home, Thranduil had also told her time had passed and her home had already catched the sickness of the rest of the forest, gradually falling into darkness.

Tauriel would not believe him and Legolas knew. Too fresh were the images of her beloved and cheerful home in her mind. She looked at Legolas pleadingly who eventually gave in and followed her deeper into the forest albeit very cautiously.

When they arrived at Tauriel's home, she was shocked. She looked upon the destroyed huts and it struck her that Thranduil had been right. Everything was shrouded in darkness and loneliness, no cheerfulness to be found anywhere. She pushed the door of the hut open in which she had lived with her parents but instead of the faces of her beloveds and the warmth of the fire in the chimney, she was met by cold air and a foul smell. Tears started to well up in her eyes.

Legolas was growing impatient. `Please, Tauriel. Let us go back. This place scares me. It's as though there's evil lingering in the shadows...´

Tauriel could feel it too. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

`Come, it is no use to stay here any longer. It'll do nothing but worsen your sorrow.´

She turned around to face Legolas when she heard something move in the thicket close to them and saw the look of horror upon his face. She turned her head into the direction Legolas was staring and saw an orc running towards them. Both elflings were scared stiff, unable to move. Soon they were surrounded by a small pack of orcs. There was no escaping now.

`Look! What have we here?!´ said one of the orcs in a deep and snarling voice.

He grinned mischievously upon the elflings, revealing his rotten teeth. Another orc who was even taller came stomping towards Tauriel and roughly pushed the other orc aside who grunted protestingly in response.

`Let me see that little red-haired worm!´ he said and lifted Tauriel up into the air who was tossing wildly, trying to free herself of the orc's strong grip to no avail. She was so disgusted by the creature touching her that she felt her stomach turn.

`Let go of her!´ Legolas shouted, pulled a little dagger out of his pocket and ran towards the orc who was wrestling with Tauriel. Another orc was faster than him, however, took Legolas by his neck and pulled the dagger out of his hand, letting it disappear inside the pockets of his own filthy clothing instead. He pushed Legolas down to the ground and started laughing at the sight of the little elfling helplessly turning and tossing underneath him.

Suddenly the orc who was holding Tauriel stopped westling with her and looked at her intently.

He remembered.

`Ah, I know that redhead reminded me of someone. You were with that she-elf I killed some time ago. Didn't take long to slice her in half and she didn't so much as sqeal. Bet you were so scared you pissed yourself, huh? I don't know how you managed to run away from me back then but now you're mine and I tell you I won't be half as merciful with you as I was with that elf-bitch!´

Knowing that this was the orc who had killed her mother let Tauriel's fear turn into fury. She started to scream and somehow managed to grab the orc's right arm in which he was now holding a dagger. As much as she was disgusted by the creature, her instincts got the better of her and she bit down into the orc's flesh as hard as she could until she tasted blood on her tongue. He sqealed and let the dagger drop onto the ground. The orc started to shake her furiously but Tauriel refused to let go and started scratching his arm with her nails. The other orcs who stood around them roared with laughter at the sight.

Soon the orc had enough and he brutally grabbed Tauriel by her neck. She flinched in pain and he used this moment to get her off his bleeding arm. He threw her against a tree and she slid down upon its roots. Her head was spinning and she felt a throbbing pain in her back. The orc picked up his dagger and came stomping towards her angrily. The other orc who was still pining Legolas to the ground held his head in place. He enjoyed the idea of that elfling watching his friend being slaughtered. Legolas was desparate. No matter how hard he tried, he could not free himself of the orc's grip but he did not want to see Tauriel get killed so he squint his eyes shut and cried.

The orc chuckled mischiviously at his reaction.

The other orc leaned down towards Tauriel, about to ram his dagger into her. She was struggling to get back up on her feet but she felt as though all strength had left her. When she was about to give up, closing her eyes and curling her legs towards her trying to shield her body, she felt blood dripping upon her face. Tauriel heard the stifling noises of the orc who slowly sank to his knees before her.

Then she saw Thranduil pulling his blood-stained sword out of the orc's neck. Only seconds thereafter he turned around to face the rest of the pack. They were running towards him, wholly oblivious to the fact that they were putting up a fight with the king of the Woodland Realm, one of the best and deadliest warriors in Middle-earth. Indeed, Thranduil was highly skilled with his sword. He used it as though it was merely an extension of his right arm. His movements were quick, precise and calculated and it was very unlikely that he would ever miss a target.

The orcs were dead within minutes for Thranduil had no mercy and would not let even a single one of them escape his wrath which they had brought upon themselves by attacking his children.

When the fight was over he looked at the two elflings to reassure himself that none of them was harmed. However his concern soon was overshadowed by the anger welling up inside of him.

`Who is responsible for this?´ he said in a calm voice but Tauriel and Legolas could see the fury in his eyes.

`If I order you to stay in the gardens, you stay in the gardens! Never defy my orders again, ever! If I had not come to your aid, you would be...´ Thranduil stopped, looking upon the shocked faces of the two elflings.

`Forgive us adar, we did not mean to cause you trouble. It was my fault! We were both playing in the gardens, chasing after each other and whilst doing so I did not notice that I kept leading Tauriel further out into the woods...´ Legolas' lips were quivering.

Thranduil of course knew what had really happened. He was not easily fooled and he would bring Tauriel to tell him the truth but for now, he accepted his son's apology.

`Let's go home!´ he said. He silently led them back to the halls and brought Legolas to his chambers who did not dare to raise his head once more, not even when he bade his father good night. Tauriel was about to follow Legolas when Thranduil grabbed her arm and gestured her to follow him.

Once inside the king's chambers, Tauriel managed to catch a glimpse of herself in a mirror at the wall and was startled at her reflection. Her hair was in disarry, her clothes looked filthy and both her face and her hands were stained with orc blood. Thranduil led her into his bathing chambers and helped her disrobe until she was wearing nothing more but a thin white undergarment. He drew her a warm bath and helped her into the large tub. With a wet cloth, he wiped the blood off her face and her hands. Then he opened the little buttons of her undergarment and examined her back which was completely bruised. He frowned.

`Tauriel, you both have been very reckless today! I will not stand for such behaviour, you know that!´

Tauriel's cheeks burned and she felt the need to cover her face. She was so ashamed of herself.

`My lord?´ her voice was low and shaking.

`Yes, Tauriel?´ She did not dare to turn her head to face him for she could feel his stern look piercing into her back.

`Your son lied to you today to protect me. What happened was not his fault but mine alone.´

Thranduil was silent, too silent.

`My lord?´ she asked again.

`Yes, speak.´

`I want you to know that I did not do it to endanger Legolas. If anything I want to be the one to protect him. But I wanted to see my home again, just one more time. I thought if I had to face the truth it would help me to overcome the pain I feel in my heart. It will not go away and sometimes it is so great it brings tears to my eyes. My lord, I do not want to insult your generosity and kindness or that of your son by breaking into tears in front of you but alas, I can not help it!´

Thranduil was still silent although he was now gently stroking her bruised back, pouring warm water over it to ease her discomfort.

`My lord?´ she asked a third time and Thranduil had to hold back a chuckle at it.

`Yes?´

Tauriel finally turned around to face him and saw that despite the fact that his expression was still quite stern, there was no more anger to be found.

Then quickly and much to his surprise, she leaned forward towards his face and placed an affectionate kiss on his cheek.

`Thank you for saving my life today, my lord!´


	6. Chapter 6

After the incident out in the forest, Tauriel had become very restless and often she was lost in thought. Legolas could sense that there was something on her mind that she could not let go off but would refuse to tell him. He thought that Tauriel regretted what she had done. After all, he too had his share of regrets and whenever he thought of it, he would tense up. He knew that he had done nothing at all to protect Tauriel and felt ashamed about his utter helplessness.

But then he knew that he could not change what had happened, that it would be of no use to him to further dwell upon it and with that and his father not mentioning the matter any longer, he put his mind at rest.

Tauriel, however, knew that she could not do so, not even if she tried. The fact that she had not been able to inflict any noteable harm upon the orc who had killed her mother was plaguing her, even at night. She hated orcs. She hated the evil they brought to this world and the pain which they had caused her with all her soul. The longer she thought about it, the more her anger and hatred grew. Tauriel was aware that Legolas despised orcs too for elves never liked orcs but she felt as though he did not understand the urgency of their situation.

If an incident like this were to happen once more with her helplessly lying on the ground and letting those filthy creatures abuse her and her loved ones, she would not be able to ever forgive herself.

The elfling went on like this for some time until one evening, she plucked up all of her courage, put down the book she had been trying to study and left a stunned Legolas behind in the library who was wondering what had gotten into her all of a sudden. Tauriel decisively marched towards the king's chambers and loudly knocked at the door.

Soon, she was granted admission and found the king standing at his desk appearing to study a large map. Though when she looked upon the king's stern expression who seemed to be somewhat vexed about the fact that she was disturbing him at this hour, she became intimidated, as she often would in Thranduil's presence. Tauriel knew that what she had to say now would be asking a lot of him and he probably would not like it either.

Slowly she came closer to him and when the king looked upon her enquiringly, wondering what she was up to, Tauriel fell upon her knees and Thranduil's eyes widened in surprise if only for a second.

`My lord, since you have saved and so kindly accepted me in your halls and chambers, I have been nothing but a burden to both you and your son. I do not want you to carry it any longer. I still feel very upset about what happened out in the forest and you should know that the orc who attacked me was the one who had killed my mother. It should have been my duty alone to put an end to his life, but it was you who was forced to do it instead. I am not a fool and I know I could not take down a single orc on my own...´

Thranduil looked down upon the elfling, patiently listening to what she had to say. He understood what the little one was feeling and did not blame her half as harshly for what she had done as Tauriel thought. He was aware that despite her young years, Tauriel knew bitterness and she wanted revenge for what so unjustifiably had been done to her. Out in the forest, a spark in her heart had caused a fire that was now burning so hot within her, Thranduil knew it would not lessen or be tamed until she got what she wanted. She wanted to fight back, but did not know how!

`I'm weak! So weak I can not protect anyone, not even myself. This is why I have come to you, my lord. I do not doubt that you are the most capable warrior in Middle-earth and it would be a sheer honour if you would teach me how to fight alongside your son! I promise to you I will do anything not to disappoint you, put all I have learned to good use and be of service to you for as long as you wish!´

Thranduil was silent and Tauriel was growing impatient for an answer, although she did not dare to raise her head.

Finally he spoke: `I agree with your decision and permit you to train alongside my son. If it is your wish to learn how to fight then you may.´

She could barely contain her joy but then he continued...

`But Tauriel, you are only an elfling and never have I known one that would be fit to fight even a single orc. You are no exception. Both you and Legolas are still too young to be dealing with weapons, so until you are older, you must learn to be patient and command your emotions...´

Tauriel was on the verge of tears and Thranduil could see her little body quivering with rage. If Thranduil had learned anything about Tauriel's behaviour and previous actions, it was that this little elfling had a broad mind of her own and he knew her recklessness would not be easy to control, especially once she grew up and became an elleth. His son was independent of him too and entirely different from what Thranduil had been like at that age. Legolas was a lot like his mother in that aspect. Still he knew his father well and was willing to follow his orders, wishes and ideals as he would always try to understand the reasons behind them. The king wasn't so sure about Tauriel though.

Yet, Thranduil saw something special in that little elfling and was very curious about her future training and as to how well she would do.

He ordered her to stand so that he could look into her eyes and Tauriel was surprised to see the king kneel down infront of her. They were almost face to face now and Tauriel quickly wiped over her eyes with her hand to prevent any tears from slipping through her eyelashes.

`Now, listen to me Tauriel...´ Thranduil placed a hand on her shoulder.

`I'm not doing this to tease you. You said it was your duty to take down the orc who killed your mother and I understand you are very upset about what happened. Still as king it is my duty to protect and take care of my kin; to protect and take care of you. I'm only doing what your adar and naneth would have done for you and indeed have done for you already! So now stop being cross with me and your patience will be rewarded for I'm sure you will become a great and skilful fighter when time has come!´

Thranduil usually was not overly affectionate or praising and didn't bother with many words. Indeed he would share his thoughts only with the very few people he felt were worthy of it. So Tauriel felt great comfort the moment he spoke these words and promised to herself once more that she would not disappoint him.

Hesitantly, she took a step forward and hugged him lightly, carefully locking her small arms around his neck and feeling his soft silver-blonde hair tickle her cheek. She was relieved when Thranduil returned the hug and embraced her with his arms, pulling her closer to him. Her adar had often hugged her like this and she missed it so much. Tauriel burried her face in Thranduil's shoulder and inhaled his scent which was unfamiliar to her and could not quite define but she liked it.

They remained like this for a while until Thranduil eventually let go of her. Tauriel then looked up at Thranduil with such innocence and purity in her eyes typical of an elven child that he could not resist the urge, leaned towards her and planted a soft kiss upon her forehead. At first, Tauriel was so surprised that she forgot to breath for a few seconds and her cheeks turned slightly red. Then a big smile spead across her face and Thranduil chuckled softly. He would never openly admit to it but he too had enjoyed their embrace. He could sense Tauriel was starting to trust him more.

`Now, don't you want to go back to Legolas?! I still have some matters to attend to and he surely will be wondering what is taking so long.´

Tauriel nodded and bowed to him, still smiling. With that same smile on her face she returned to Legolas and fell asleep that night while her friend was still wondering what had gotten into her...


	7. Chapter 7

As time went by, Tauriel gave her best to be more obedient to her king and his orders. She did not want to disappoint him and did not dare to do so. Thranduil commanded absolute respect from his people. His impressive appearance, accompanied by his height and generally severe demeanour added to this in a very effective way. Tauriel was no exception of that. Even Legolas would take care not to overstrech his father's patience.

However, Thranduil tried to be a good father and despite his many duties, he spent as much time with the elflings as was possible for him. He had noticed Tauriel was further opening up to both him and Legolas, for she now spoke her thoughts more readily. She was still somewhat awkward when it came to physical affection, yet clearly seeking it when she felt lonely or missed her parents. The king too had to get used to something, which was to now be responsible and take care of two elflings instead of just one: Once there had been just little Legolas sitting on his lap, eagerly listening to the tales he was reading. Now his son had to share space with Tauriel but was happy to do so.

He had used to take walks through the gardens with his son, who would search for little rabbits, squirrels or hedgehogs in the grass and bushes. Now it was two elflings gaily playing with each other that he watched over. At the end of an exhausting day, there used to be just himself and Legolas resting in his chambers on his comfortable couch. After a while, Legolas would place his head into his father's lap and fall asleep. He still did so, but now there was also little Tauriel who would move closer and closer towards Thranduil, grab hold of his arm and carefully snuggle herself up to him.

When spring was over, Thranduil allowed Tauriel to spend most of the hot summer days outside. He was aware the forest would always be a part of her and Tauriel greatly enjoyed the hours she spent in the gardens and forest with the rest of her kin. Often, she would climb up high on a tree, sit still on one of its branches, lean back and rest her head against its stem. She would close her eyes, inhale the scents around her and listen to the sounds of the forest. She felt most content in these solitary hours. Sometimes, she would climb up even higher, to the very top of the tree crown. Then she looked over a sea of leaves, the evening sun casting a golden light upon it. It was an impressive and liberating sight to her. She thought that nobody would have guessed sickness and danger lingered underneath such beauty. Tauriel also noticed a mountain standing out lonely at the horizon. She wondered who lived there and if she would ever get to see this place, for she had never been outside the Woodland Realm before.

It was a day like this when Tauriel was awoken from her daydreams quite abruptly by a voice calling her name from down below.

`Tauriel? Is that you up there?´ It was Legolas.

`Yes! Wait, I'm coming down!´

Tauriel swiftly jumped down the tree's branches and after only a few seconds, Legolas found himself facing Tauriel at the foot of the tree, looking at her with a baffled expression on his face.

`You climb trees well!´ Legolas looked up to the high branch she had been sitting on and then back to her.

`I suppose it would be a shame for a wood elf not to be skilled at climbing trees, don't you think?´ she said.

`I suppose you are right! Still, I'm sure your skill will be of great use to you in the future!´

He noticed that Tauriel was looking at him questioningly, waiting for him to explain the reason why he had been searching for her.

`I have come to ask you something! Did adar tell you that we are going to welcome guests from Imladris in a few days?´

Tauriel shook her head. `He did not, but I have noticed there has been some talk in the halls today. I was wondering what it was about...´

`Lord Elrond and his wife the Lady Celebrian are coming to visit us! They will bring their sons, Elladan and Elrohir with them, as well as their daughter Lady Arwen!´

Tauriel was very excited by these news. She had never met any elves that lived outside the Woodland Realm before. Legolas could tell what was going on inside of her. He already had met Lord Elrond and his wife and had greatly enjoyed the company of his two sons.

`Do not worry, I'm sure you will like them. Lord Elrond is very noble and gracious, as is his wife.´

Tauriel wondered if Lord Elrond was anything like Thranduil and also what Rivendell was like.

`Have you ever been to Rivendell, Legolas?´

`No, unfortunately, I have not. But I'm sure it is as grand as our realm, if very different...´

 _Not as dark and dangerous..._ he thought to himself.

`I'm sure Lord Elrond will answer any questions you might have, if you get the chance to ask him! Also I want you to know, even if it does not seem like it, my father is not averse to welcoming guests into his halls, but he rarely allows them to return the gesture of hospitality. He does not feel any particular need to pay visits to the rest of our kin, at least not personally. It wasn't always like that though. My mother used to be very close with the Lady Celebrian and also Lord Celeborn in Lothlórien. They share the same ancestry and payed each other many visits. However, after my naneth...´

Legolas hesitated. `Well, it is just my father does not like to leave his realm ungoverned for too long!´

Tauriel had listened carefully and noticed that Legolas was somewhat tense after having mentioned his mother. She wondered what had happened to her, for Legolas never spoke of it and neither did Thranduil. Actually, nobody she had ever known spoke about her passing. It was like an unspoken agreement amongst their kin not to mention this part of the past. Even her parents had refused to tell her what precisely had happened to her. Tauriel did not dare to ask Legolas and it did not even cross her mind to ask Thranduil, as she sensed it would not be wise to do so. Legolas was not so much older than she was and even though Tauriel did not know when exactly the queen had passed away, she knew Legolas had never got to know her properly. She assumed Legolas and especially Thranduil's pain was still rather fresh, for her passing had been not too long ago.

`Let us go back inside the halls now! It's growing dark...´ Legolas said.

The two elflings went back to the halls, side by side. Had Legolas not come to her, she would have lingered outside much longer until the moon shone bright in the night sky and only the clittering of the crickets could be heard in the grass and bushes. At first, Thranduil was concerned to have her outside his halls after sunset, but soon he had noticed that Tauriel would not dwell outside in the gardens when the sky was clouded and the stars not visible, for they were what she was waiting for. She had found a liking to the stars and their light. Thranduil was not surprised by this for most elves loved the starlight, especially those of his kin. Honouring this connection they held a feast every year called Mereth Nuin Giliath. Therefore, Thranduil did not forbid Tauriel to stay outside for a little longer, because he knew looking at the stars, she felt connected with her loved ones. He too felt this way...

* * *

Arwen followed her parents and brothers through the grand entrance leading into King Thranduil's halls. Their horses had been brought to the stables by the servants. Travelling through the forest, Arwen had felt as though it had grown ever darker since their last visit and she had sensed that her parents and brothers felt the same way. Nevertheless, Arwen felt joy at the opportunity of looking upon the grandness of the elvenking's halls once more. It was so entirely different from Imladris and Lothlórien. Her parents had told her tales of the ancient elven realm of Doriath, and she imagined the halls she now saw before her were quite similar to them. With their high pillars, the halls seemed to her almost like an underground forest. The soft greenish light from above was like sunlight breaking through the crowns of the trees in a forest. They walked the wooden bridges, leading over a river flowing through the halls, towards the king's throne room.

There King Thranduil stood, tall and muscular with a fair but stern face. His silver hair was loosely flowing over his shoulders which was similar to her grandfather's, Lord Celeborn, and her mother's, for they were of Sindarian descent. Next to the king stood his son Legolas who looked indeed quite small beside his father. As she looked at the fine and soft features the elfling bore on his face, remembering the elleth he had inherited them from, she could not help but feel pity. However, she then noticed another elfling she did not recognise, a girl, even smaller than Legolas with long auburn hair and lively green eyes, standing close to the king, almost hiding behind his long elegant robes.

Thranduil stepped forward, bowing his head to her father.

`Elrond, I'm very pleased to welcome you in my halls! I hope you had a safe journey?´

Her father bowed his head to Thranduil and affirmed the question. The king then proceeded to bow to the rest of her family, kissing the back of her mother's and her own hand. Legolas followed his father's example, geeting their guests. Tauriel, however, still stood behind Thranduil, looking stunned at their visitors. All of them were dressed in light elegant robes, quite different from the clothing her eyes were used to. Lord Elrond was wearing a soft expression on his face as was his wife, Lady Celebrian. Elrond was not has tall as her king and he had long dark, almost black hair. His wife had long silver locks of the same colour as Thranduil, cascading down her back. Tauriel thought she was the fairest elleth she had ever seen, then she looked up at their daughter, Lady Arwen, who was just as beautiful as her mother. However, it was obvious that she had inherited her father's looks as well as his dark hair. Their twin sons, Elladan and Elrohir, too looked more like their father and were so similar to each other, both in appearance and demeanor, Tauriel knew it would be difficult for her to tell them apart. The elfling looked up into their eyes and she thought that they were like Thranduil's, as she found herself face to face with the depth and wisdom of thousands of years. Elves physically did not appear to be old, yet their eyes would reflect all of the decades they had spent on this earth.

`Who is the little one, Thranduil? I have not seen her before. She seems rather shy...´ Lady Celebrian asked, her voice so gentle and melodic, it instantly took Tauriel's fear.

Thranduil shot a stern glance at Tauriel, stepping aside so that she was no longer half concealed by his silver robes.

`Do not be so rude, Tauriel! Step forward and greet our guests!´

Hearing his harsh words directed at the child, Celebrian looked at Thranduil reproachfully. He did not yield to her admonishing glance, and before she could silently give him a light scolding for his behaviour towars the elfling, he closed his fëa to hers.

Tauriel hurried to follow the king's order, bowing low to Lord Elrond and Lady Celebrian. She had her eyes closed, when suddenly she felt a finger under her chin. Instantly, Tauriel looked up into Lady Celebrian's blue eyes who was now looking at her intently. After a while, the serious expression on her face gave way to a soft smile, yet her eyes were filled with pity and sadness upon having seen what the little one had endured in the past.

Eventually, Thranduil cleared his throat, directing his words at Elrond `If you are weary from the journey, I have set up rooms for you.´

`No need, Thranduil, though we would like to thank you for your concern. There are important matters Celebrian and I would like to discuss with you. Perhaps my sons and daughter could spend some time with Legolas and Tauriel outside in your gardens until we are finished? It is quite a lovely day.´

Thranduil looked down at the two elflings. His son looked at him pleadingly. He knew he had been looking forward to Elladan's and Elrohir's company since he had first mentioned their visit to him.

Thranduil nodded and gestured his son and Tauriel to go over to Arwen, Elladan and Elrohir. Legolas could barely contain his excitement and eagery grabbed the twins by their hands, pulling them with him and hurrying into the direction of the gate, leading them outside into the gardens. Tauriel was still somewhat shy, so Celebrian and Arwen exchanged looks after which Arwen silently nodded at her mother. She took Tauriel's small hand into her own, warmly smiling at her. Tauriel could not help but return her smile and so they both followed Legolas, Elladan and Elrohir outside, walking hand in hand.

* * *

Thranduil had led his visitors to a more secluded part of his halls: It was a smaller room, serving partly as a viewing platform carved inside the mountain, overlooking the forest and Erebor.

Thranduil poured his guests and himself a glass of Dorwinion and strode through the room, letting the glass rest in his right hand. Elrond and Celebrian walked over to the viewing platform, looking at the sight before them and seeing through its beautiful facade.

`The forest has grown darker...´ Elrond said in a low voice.

`Indeed, and I'm quite sure of its source.´ Thranduil replied in a factual manner, taking a small sip of his Dorwinion.

`It is coming from Dol Guldur. The Necromancer has returned.´ Elrond said and Thranduil could tell the fearful undertone of his voice.

`The White Council has discussed this matter, I assume?´ Thranduil asked.

`Yes, indeed, we did. Galadriel, Mithrandir and myself believe it is Sauron who is gradually regaining his strenght now that the ring is in possession of the creature Gollum. Saruman, however, is still refusing to accept this.´

`Perhaps it would be wise to capture Gollum if he is the one who now bears this great danger...´ Thranduil said.

`Yes, I have thought about that. But Gollum lives deep inside the Misty Mountains, guarding the ring with his life. I do not believe that we have anything to fear just yet as far as he is concerned. But most importantly what are we going to do about Dol Guldur itself?! This is why we wanted to speak to you, Thranduil. I do not doubt this matter is of great concern to you as well.´

`What are we going to do?´ Thranduil gave Elrond a surprised look. `Did you not just say that the ring is safe with this miserable creature?! Without the ring, Sauron will be unable to regain his strength, so I see no need to take action just yet. Indeed, I was surprised Lothlórien refused to take action when the so called Necromancer first chose to inhabit this place. After all they are closer to the threat than we are.´

Elrond could tell that Thranduil was irritated by this.

`It is not the right time to assign blame, Thranduil!´ Elrond said, his face growing stern. He knew this was going to be a tough conversation.

`Oh yes, I believe I have the right to adress some issues The White Council seems to forget about. You and Galadriel both own a Ring of Power. It is indeed easy for you to judge others!´

`Thranduil, you know as well as I do that even our rings are powerless compared to the one ring!´ It took Elrond great self-control not to raise his voice at the king he thought to be very stubborn.

`The mere fact that you and Celebrian are standing here in front of me now is proof enough that your ring is doing what it is supposed to. You can leave your realm and still be sure of its safety, but I do not have this luxury. The one ring is not in Sauron's use right now, so at the moment Dol Guldur is none of my concern, for this fortless lies beyond my borders. My greatest concern is the maintenance of the safety of my own people and trust me, it is not an easy task! You and Galadriel are using these rings to protect Lothlorien and Imladris, filling them with light. I merely have these halls and the warriors you have seen already to repulse the growing darkness and defend ourselves. I'm sorry to tell you an attack against Dol Guldur carried out by my kin is entirely impossible at the moment!´

`I did not ask you to do that, Thranduil. If an attack on Dol Guldur takes place any time in the future, we are going to unite our forces! It is true, Dol Guldur lies beyond your borders, but you see the darkness from that place is reaching out to you already, despite the fact that Sauron has not even regained his full strength. Yet you choose to remain entirely inactive as to fighting this upcoming threat. This forest is infested with spiders, orcs and many other foul creatures already. I know this burden lies heavy on you and your kin, would you not rather be free of it?´

Thranduil frowened.

`Do not talk to me about the burden I am carrying! Believe me, Elrond, me and my kin have done our share to try to keep the darkness away from this place and fought for and alongside other realms and kingdoms, yet it has brought us nothing but doom. Too much of my people's blood has been spilled for this lost cause already!´

`So this is what you think it is, a lost cause?´ Elrond raised his eyebrows.

Thranduil clenched his fists full of anger and strode over to the viewing platform, facing away from Elrond and Celebrian. Why was everyone so entirely blind to the situation he was trapped in?! Suddenly Celebrian was next to him, taking his hand and unclenching his fist, entwining her fingers with his own. She could tell Thranduil did not feel comfortable with this gesture but he did not resist. He would not look at her. His eyes were fixed in the distance. Someone following his gaze might have guessed that he was looking at the Lonely Montain but Celebrian knew his gaze travelled even futher up north, far away from Erebor. She still could not reach out to his fëa, but knew what was going on inside of him. Celebrian touched his left cheek with her long delicate fingers. Thranduil instantly flinched at the touch, as though the wound he once had suffered in battle and had disfigured half of his face was still hurting. Elrond watched them both intently. He knew not even his wife would be able to help him, for his inner wounds ran very deep and his pain was great. Celebrian was aware of this, yet she could not help but try. It too pained her to see the husband of her beloved friend be corrupted by darkness.

`It is of no use to conceal your pain Thranduil. I can feel you are suffering. You are still mourning her. I know the pain I feel because of her loss is but only a small fraction of the pain you have to endure...´ Celebrian said in a soft low voice. He still refused to face her.

`Elmíriel...´ he whispered and kept staring off into the distance...


End file.
